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Thanks to everyone for the feedback on my essay draft. I will try to break it up into the two specific essays for two very different targets. The first one is and op-ed for the South China Morning Post. (Not sure if it will be published yet.) I am going to try to focus on a brief history of the problems in Japan, the fact that the dysfunctional democracy is the root of the problem and some examples of how a revolution might happen. Again, comments would be greatly appreciated.

Does growth in sophisticated economies require democracy? Do advanced economies thrive with more democracy? This age-old debate is more relevant than ever today. Doubters should look to Japan for reams of evidence that growth, especially when economic change is necessary, comes easier with democracy.

Post-war Japan consolidated power in the ruling party. Perhaps this was efficient at the time, as there was consensus on the appropriate direction of the country, but it created a super-powerful bureaucracy lording over the country. People were educated to be obedient. Harmony was maintained by co-opting or disabling people or organizations that could threaten the system. Diversity in the media, a strong judiciary, diversity in education and political diversity were stifled for the purpose of maintaining harmony.

While Japan was growing, it could afford to fund the ever-growing political machine. It could also afford not to change. However, today, Japan faces huge challenges both externally and internally. Ageing Japan now faces a competitive Asian manufacturing sector and a shift in resource allocation in the economy, towards the service sector. However the domestic services sector is inefficient and unable to compete globally since it has grown up protected by the bureaucracy and thus never had to compete. The markets are dysfunctional and unable to reallocate resources.

This harmony and consensus-bound process that once protected the happiness of the citizens of Japan is now the primary barrier to change. The system is self-perpetuating and is extremely resistant to change. It hides behind the powerful and complex bureaucracy and the monolithic media that does not give voice to a diversity of opinions. In short, Japan is stuck with a system pointed in the wrong direction without the ability to change the direction. The political system is unable to lead the nation. The lack of real democracy is the source of these problems.

Japan has a constitution and almost all of the laws required being a functioning democracy. However years of growth under a sclerotic bureaucracy has created a situation in which Japan’s democracy is dysfunctional. In a democracy, there should be multiple points of authority, the ability to criticize power without fear of retribution, critical debate and a competition of ideas. Japan’s “market for ideas” is far from this. Japan must build a modern democracy and empower the people to participate. The situation is so bleak that some say we may need a revolution to get there. If it does happen, the revolution does not need to overthrow the government. What it must do is consolidated will of the people to force the power elite to allow the authority to be distributed and to allow democracy to function.

There are many signs of change in Japan which convince us that there is a silent majority pushing for a true democracy.

Governor Tanaka of Nagano, an independent promising to shut down public works and crack down on corruption, was voted into office by people who were upset by the corruption and were willing to suffer short term pain in order to fight the corruption. He was ousted by the prefectural council in the first no-confidence vote executed in the history of modern Japanese politics, which did not involve a crime or a scandal. He ran again and won a landslide victory. He is now in the process of cleaning up the politics of Nagano.

The people are voting for more and more anti-corruption independent governors across Japan.

When Minister for Economic and Fiscal Policy, Heizo Takenaka, presented his aggressive plan to restructure the non-performing loans problem in October last year, the mass media criticized him, the bureaucrats were not supportive and the ruling party actively tried to stop him. And yet a poll run by Monex on its website showed that 87% of the people supported Takenaka. The support of Takenaka by this silent majority went un-reported in the mass media. The collusion between the bureaucracy and the media has been built up over decades, but the time has come for this to end. Meanwhile, we should remember that it under-represents the views of a large silent majority.

In business, the traditional backbone (backroom?) of the bureaucracy, change is also afoot. Carlos Ghosn has been able to take Nissan, a failing Japanese company, and turn it around with 99% of the original Japanese staff. Ripplewood, a foreign fund, has been able to buy Shinsei Bank (formerly the Long Term Credit Bank of Japan), ailing Japanese bank and turn it around.
Many of the problems can be solved by execution driven by ignoring the complex network of personal indebtedness (including lifetime employment) and exercising an ethics of transparency. The exciting thing about Nissan and Shinsei bank is that the people working in these companies quickly embraced the new ethics and were able to use the foreign influence as a positive catalyst.

There are many isolated examples of average citizens pushing for change and embracing a new ethics of transparency and activism, but again, they are marginalized by the mass media. As more and more of these individuals begin to express their opinions and organize themselves on the
Internet, the number and size of these incidents should increase.

The Internet, and the “blogs” in particular, provides opportunities for the passive Japanese public to wake up before the catastrophe. The Internet also is a way to enable the youth of Japan, currently silenced by the older generation and destined to get stuck with supporting them in the future, to speak up and organize before it is too late. This is critical both for themselves and also for Japan as a whole.

It is frightening to know that the collapse of brand-name corporations and the failure of the government to engage the people have largely caused many of the youth of Japan to lose faith in the system. Many have merely dropped out, but there is an increasing number of young Japanese organizing themselves with the help of tools such as mobile phones and the Internet. For the first time since the student uprisings in the 60's and 70's, which made activism "unfashionable", the youths are becoming more active. This is crucial, because if they don’t they will be rebuilding Japan from the ashes of a total economic collapse several years from now.

Historically, a catastrophe or a shock of some sort has been necessary for Japan to change. A sensible plan for rebuilding Japan’s democracy would be a good start, though. The Blueprint for Japan, which has been put together by a group of elected officials, business people (including ourselves) and professors, identifies some key factors for a new system. These include:
• Empowering local governments in the prefectures, and fixing the weight of representation in voting;
• allowing more political appointees to participate in the bureaucracy
• breaking up the press clubs
• increasing the size and power of the judiciary
• supporting more direct democracy and educational reforms
• increasing diversity through more immigration

Of course, this is just a start and may not be without flaws. However, we also know that change has never happened without someone taking the first step. The people of the silent majority of Japan need to wake up and realize that change starts with themselves.

Special thanks to the World Economic Forum for organizing the Blueprint for Japan 2020 and for help in editing this article. Thanks also to the contributors of my weblog and the rest of the Japan Blueprint members whose opinions this op-ed is based.

The end of the essay, where opportunity to communicate appears, enlivens the read considerably. It is very difficult to compose an essay on important abstract issues without being dry and disconnected, but this is not a problem here. The essay involves equally those in power and those who are not, but who nevertheless create that power democratically, and offers a means of uniting them by overreaching traditional strengths of harmony and consensus a bit, just enough to make lasting beneficial change.

Thank you for your words of encouragement Toph. I'm going to try to do one more edit and send it out. (Although it really isn't what they asked me to write. They asked me to write about the Blueprint...)

Larry suggested that I be more specific about what should happen AFTER the revolution so I added the last paragraph... I wonder if it flows? I'm running out of words so I'm packing stuff in without much explanation...

Apparently last paragraph caps essay by addressing issue of Blueprint. This is of utmost importance, and very well done. Perhaps leave out the second "the" in "fixing the weighting of the representation in voting." When I read the passage more critically, I ask myself whether the list of things calling for focus is too long to remember for the purpose of "focus." Is it really just one thing, "...they must focus on breaking up the power of the ruling party to create a true multi-party system?" And then from the standpoint of healthy parliamentary debate in a truly representative Diet, come to terms with a variety of issues such as "empowering the governors of the prefectures, fixing the weighting of representation in voting, allowing political appointees to participate in the bureaucracy, breaking up the press clubs, increasing the size and power of the judiciary, and increasing diversity through more immigration and educational reforms." My special caution in these afterthoughts is they tends to lengthen the piece, not shorten it.

Joi, I have taken a quick look (I am in bed with a cold). I think it looks good. I like the concrete examples you've included.

One thought: How about instead of "revolution," something like "grass-roots awakening," "mobilization of the Japanese public," or a "revolution in political participation"? As Larry mentioned, what you are really talking about is not overthrow of the system (in terms of the constitution), but more robust participation in the system by a broader sector of society. Of you could expand by stating that you want broader participation *and* reform of some specific aspects of government or media regulation.

If you have any more cycles, you might add more on envisioning the future. Because you are participating in creating this mobilization right? You need to inspire people about how different things could be.

Thanks again Toph for your advice. I've edited once more and just sent it out. Will see what they say. It is 200 words more than they asked for. Mimi... didn't have enough space to envision the future. ;-)

Right now it is somewhat repetitive and not flowing very logically. That
may be the stream of thought nature of teh piece, in that you raise many
good points, but mostly in a very brief and fleeting way. From my reading,
it seems the main point of the piece is to say 1) "Japan needs more
democracy" and 2) japan needs more flexibility to open up to ideas from
the outside. (the new ethics angle). Ultimately, and to make the piece make
sense, you need to logically tie these together or subsume one under the
other. Since you have more text on the 1st point, which is broad in
itself, perhaps you could leave the "new ethics/new thinking" to the end.

A suggested idea- flow could be :
1. it is contestable to say that growth needs democracy, or that democracy
can provide one path to stability and social development. But Japan's case
really proves it. While Japan was growing, democracy was not necessary (or
people could look the other way because they had sustenance). However, the
lack of participatory mechanisms created inward thinking, bureaucracy and
corruption, and inability to change. This has created a rot which is at
the heart of J's inability to master its own recover.

2. Japan needs more democracy. This means participation in the official
government, and also media, judiciary, etc . How can Japan get there?
through the will of the silent majority. (Here i think most of the 3rd
paragraph is a distraction and also problematic because you are advocating
revolution, when the examples you give, ie Nissan, Shinsei, the city
government-- are of gradual)

3,. There is a huge silent majority pushing for more democracy. Here are
your examples. Nissan, Shinsei (attitudinal change) and Nagano. We also
have isolated cases of good governors (Takenaka) pushing for change, and we
need to vocally and visibly support that. The inklings of support are
there. It's just a question of mobilizing.

4. By vocalizing the silent majority, Japan can stop the system rot and
create a democracy that can help the country recoup the power to grow. It
is every citizen's duty to speak out. (I think an empowering "change comes
from you" message at the end could be very good, and also a good link to
the New Asian Leaders role as leaders in your own societies)

Reading the initial chapters of "Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software" by Steven Johnson, wherein, amongst many other things, he speaks of a young Engels' sojourn in Manchester, England, I am struck by a correlation of Read More

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